At Appleby Farms, local isn’t just a place, it’s a philosophy - a philosophy almost as sweet as their delicious line of ice cream products!
The GRM team can’t help but connect with the irresistible content their team produces and asked them to give us the scoop on how they use the Three C’s of Social Media.
Take it away Appleby Farms!
We are the brainchild of four local Nelson families; two of which are veteran dairy farmers who wanted to do something just a little bit different with their A2 protein milk. After extensive research the idea of premium ice cream came about and Appleby Farms was born. We began manufacturing at the end of 2017 and you’ll now find Appleby Farms ice cream in over 350 stores nationwide.
Cow to Cone is the pasture to plate movement we live by; our milk comes straight from the farm only fifteen minutes down the road. And locally sourced ingredients such as the boysenberries in our Bad Boys & Berries and the chocolate brownie in our Brown Eyed Girl come from locally owned farms and locally owned suppliers.
After all, it’s important to us to support our neighbours and local community. And connecting with our wider community beyond the farm fence and through the social media gate adds another really crucial ingredient to our brand – integrity for keeping it real. It’s not all about us, it’s about the process of listening, chatting and collaboration. It’s the personal perspective and commentary that adds value to ours and our audience’s experience. We are all just locals interested in what each other is doing.
Social media plays a big part in communicating our unique story too. There are not many ice cream companies who can say ‘we own the paddocks, grow the grass, nurture our gorgeous A2 cows and churn their delicious milk into ice cream.’ There’s a great opportunity here to share our passion, and in turn, share in the passionate responses of those who love our ice cream through their snaps, videos, stories and even childhood memories.
How we interact through social media is absolute key to building lasting relationships and getting to know our friends and neighbours. And what a buzz, when people share their excitement about the simple things – going to the store and spotting the Appleby Farms tubs, lifting the lid for the first time, scraping the bowl complete with emojis and hearts! Ours is a unique story, and so is every personal experience – our ‘cow to cone’ philosophy extends way beyond the cone – that’s when the real story begins.
Developing our brand awareness through social media has put us in touch with some amazingly talented people. We’ve had the pleasure of working with distinguished food bloggers, such as @bakergatherer and @nicolagallowayfood, and collaborated with superb artisan products like @outofthisworldbrownies. When your mission is to be authentic, connecting with like-minded organisations such as Grass Roots Media is effortless, and fun! We love a good banter, thanks, @GrassRootsMediaNZ!
We’ve found that developing our social media presence includes a healthy mix of consumer generated content, support of our local businesses, being involved in our community and expressing who we are and what we do. For Appleby Farms, social media is the perfect space to share experiences and facilitate interaction. And then there’s ice cream – If there is one food that is loved by many, it’s the joy of ice cream that unites us with a nod and a smile. Just as summer fruit or a crunchy, waffle cone pairs superbly with ice cream, social media opportunities can be the cherry on the top.
Thanks Appleby Farms for your thoughtful content! Be sure to follow them on Facebook @applebyfarmsicecream and see more stunning shots on Instagram at @applebyfarmsicecream. Love your all your stuff (but especially your Doubleshot Ipanema Coffee Ice Cream) can’t wait to see more of it!
